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Multiple-Meaning Words

A multiple-meaning word is spelled and said the same way but means different things: a bat flies at night, and you hit a ball with a bat. Context is the only clue, which is why these words are such good reading practice.

Here are 116 multiple-meaning words from past ClueBy puzzles, each with a real example sentence for every meaning. Use them as a reference, or make a printable worksheet below.

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Students read each sentence and write the missing word. Every word appears in several sentences, each time with a different meaning.

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Word bank
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Multiple-Meaning Words

Name: ____________________Date: __________

Write the missing word from the word bank in each sentence. Each word is used more than once, with a different meaning each time.

Word bank: drill · face · rush · chip · degree · pitcher · racket · board

  1. Our bedroom windows ________________ the sea.
  2. Take your time. There's no ________________.
  3. Algeria has become a bargaining ________________ in a global game of poker.
  4. The captain is giving the order to ________________ the ship.
  5. The ________________ will go to the well once too often.
  6. There's a computer ________________ on the table.
  7. We had a fire ________________ at school today.
  8. To what ________________ are you interested in baseball?
  9. He is an ace ________________.
  10. I'm currently on the ________________ of directors.
  11. A university ________________ is the ticket to a successful career.
  12. Fill up this ________________ with water.
  13. Our cat is sitting in the apple tree, and the birds are making a ________________.
  14. That must've been a ________________.
  15. I need a ________________ to install the towel rack.
  16. The potato ________________ was salty and crunchy.
  17. You shouldn't ________________ things.
  18. ________________ games are popular in Germany.
  19. Sooner or later you'll have to ________________ the truth.
  20. She had a strange look on her ________________.
  21. He hit the ball with his ________________.
  22. The soldiers did ________________ on the parade ground every morning.
  23. In my city, the temperature is one ________________ above zero.
  24. I haven't touched a tennis ________________ in years.

Sentences from ClueBy, Tatoeba (CC BY 2.0 FR) and Common Voice (CC0). clueby.com

Answer key

  1. face — to point toward
  2. rush — hurry
  3. chip — for betting
  4. board — to get on
  5. pitcher — a jug
  6. chip — in a computer
  7. drill — a practice
  8. degree — an amount
  9. pitcher — in baseball
  10. board — a committee
  11. degree — from a university
  12. pitcher — a jug
  13. racket — a loud noise
  14. rush — a thrill
  15. drill — the tool
  16. chip — to eat
  17. rush — to hurry
  18. board — a flat piece
  19. face — to confront
  20. face — part of the head
  21. racket — for tennis
  22. drill — army training
  23. degree — temperature
  24. racket — for tennis

Multiple-meaning words list

Tick up to 10 words to build a worksheet with just those words.

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Frequently asked questions

What are multiple-meaning words?

Words with the same spelling and pronunciation but more than one meaning, like bark (of a dog or of a tree) or bank (for money or of a river). You can only tell which meaning is meant from the rest of the sentence.

Are multiple-meaning words the same as homonyms?

Mostly, yes. Teachers often use "multiple-meaning words" and "homonyms" for the same idea. Homophones are different: they sound alike but are spelled differently, like flour and flower.

Are the worksheets free?

Yes. Make and print as many as you like for home or classroom use. Each sheet has its own link, so you can print the same one again.

Where do the words come from?

From past ClueBy puzzles, a daily game where you sort twelve sentences by their missing word. A new puzzle every day adds four more words to this list.

Sentences from ClueBy, Tatoeba (CC BY 2.0 FR) and Common Voice (CC0). clueby.com